


March to War

by Napkin32



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Asia, Conflict, Desperation, Eventual Romance, Female Protagonist, Fluff, Internal Conflict, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-22 15:27:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21304316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Napkin32/pseuds/Napkin32
Summary: Two nations. One fighting off starvation. The other focused more inward than outward. They are marching down the path to a war to devastate the continent. But can it be stopped?





	March to War

**Author's Note:**

> This is just the very first chapter with few introduced characters. If I get hits on this and people like it, I will begin to update the story. Also, sorry about the lack of any and all indents, I couldn't figure out how to implement them.

"Your highness, we have arrived,” shouted a voice from outside the carriage.  
“Very well,” responded Princess Valerie. The young princess sheathed her sword and stepped out of the carriage, revealing a near endless sea of tents and campfires burning, brimming with the ever familiar black-clad soldiers of Drastria. Right outside the carriage stood a young, well-groomed butler with long, braided ponytail. To his right was another man that stood particularly out from the crowd, mainly for his massive size and beard that was most likely not meeting Drastrian military regulations. “So this is the eastern front. We have quite a lot of men stationed here, how have those fortresses not fallen, yet?” questioned Valerie.  
“Erm… your highness… did you not read the briefing… again…?” responded an exasperated butler.  
“Wha-? Maxwell, there was a briefing?” Princess Valerie questioned.  
“Yes mistress. There was definitely a briefing…” sighed Maxwell. “Gunther, could you please hand her the briefing…” The bearded man then stepped forward after fiddling around with a bag he was holding, taking out a packet of papers and handing them to the semi-confused princess.  
“Thank you, Gunther. I mean… you know my father. He likes to play pranks sometimes. He’s sent me out on missions blind before…hehe...” Princess Valerie nervously defended.  
“While I cannot comment on his majesty the emperor’s personality, I can definitely attest that he has never sent you blind on a mission before. Each time was simply because you somehow lost or missed the briefing, and Gunther and I then had to, painstakingly I might add, recover it” Maxwell responded, closing his eyes and frowning.  
“Bu-,” started Valerie.  
“Uh ma’am, you might want to just read it, the soldiers are waiting to meet their new commander,” interrupted Gunther.  
“Hasn’t anyone ever told you it’s rude to interrupt a princess? But… fine. Give me a while.” With that, Valerie took the briefing and returned into her carriage.  
“Um what should we do now?” Gunther asked.  
“Go tell the officers that her highness got caught up by something and will arrive shortly. I’ll stay here and watch over her highness,” Maxwell answered.  
“Er, ok,” Gunther then hurried off to greet the officers that were beginning to wonder where their new royal commander was.

* * *

Removing the telescope telescope from his eye, Minsan Commander Han Su muttered, “So the Drastrian royals have finally arrived,”.  
“What about it? General, I mean no disrespect, but she’s only a girl not even matured. What is there to fear about her?” responded a rough looking Minsan.  
“He Ran, it’s dangerous to underestimate your enemy. She’s a Drastrian princess after all. All of them study military strategy from young,” a scholarly looking man interjected.  
“Su Lu, what do you know? All you’ve ever done is ramble in court. You haven’t seen those Drastrians try to attack us. They haven’t ever come close to breaking our walls, and with constant supplies from Nakari, they have no chance in sieging us out.” He Ran retorted.  
“At least I’m not an ape who’s empty from the neck up…” Su Lu muttered.  
“WHAT DID YOU SAY?” shouted He Ran.  
“Break it up, both of you. It’s unbefitting of Minsan officials to act as children,” scolded Han Su. He then continued, “Though she seems unintimidating, Su Lu is correct that we should not underestimate anyone of Drastrian royalty.”  
“Hmph, on the bright side, we know she can only be one of two people. Princess Lyssa or Valerie. Their third princess is still too young to be commanding any armies. However, neither of those two are good news for use. Princess Lyssa, the butcher of Ganara, is ruthless and not afraid of casualties on any side so long as Drastria is victorious. On the other hand, Princess Valerie is known to be unconventional and ingenious in her tactics of war. Han Su, with the royals here, you should message Nakari asking for additional assistance.” Su Lu stated while lightly twisting his moustache.  
“Yes, that would be for the best.” agreed Han Su.  
“Hmph, looks like we’re done here. I’ll be returning back to the army now. I still don’t think this little girl can do anything to us but have it your way,” with that, He Ran jumped off the city walls with inhuman strength, returning to the military camps within the walls.

* * *

“Ahh, I finally finished reading,” yawned Valerie. She then took a glance out the window only to see the sun setting. “CRAP, I STILL HAVE TO GREET THE OFFICERS,” Valerie shouted. She then burst open the door to the carriage, nearly knocking out a certain unfortunate butler.  
“Young mistress! Are you alright?!?” shouted a startled Maxwell.  
“How long was I reading?” asked Valerie.  
“Approximately two hours and thirty-four minutes,” responded a now calm Maxwell.  
“Have you been standing here and counting minutes…”  
“Yes, your highness,”  
“You really need to relax sometimes…”  
“Noted. Now, you should go greet the soldiers. They should all be waiting for you by now.”  
“Wait, they’re waiting… CRAP!” Valerie then took off running towards the field where nearly a hundred thousand Drastrian soldiers were gathered and getting a little more than impatient.

* * *

“Where is her highness? We’ve been here for two hours!” shouted a disgruntled soldier.  
“Two hours! We’ll be dead before we ever go to battle!” started another.  
“Calm down, calm down! She’ll be here soon,” shouted Gunther.  
“That what you said an hour ago!” responded a particularly annoyed one.  
“HOLD! BOW FOR THE ARRIVAL OF HER IMPERIAL HIGHNESS, PRINCESS VALERIE!” Two imperial guards suddenly shouted.  
Hearing the reverberating voices of the guards, every previously impatient soldier immediately knelt down and chanted, “HAIL TO HER HIGHNESS! HAIL TO THE EMPIRE! LONG LIVE HIS MAJESTY THE EMPEROR” Following the chant, Valerie marched onstage with a dignified air, having lost all semblance of her self from a few minutes ago. Gunther took the moment to retreat behind the stage to where Maxwell was now standing looking oddly proud.  
Valerie then began, “Dear soldiers of the empire, first, allow me to thank you all for your service to the empire. Because of you our empire thrives and our people don’t hunger. Because of you, we are the greatest civilization to ever exist on Valora. And I implore you to show the same dedication which you have always shown to the battle ahead.”  
“YES YOUR HIGHNESS!” the soldiers responded.

* * *

“She really changes every time she’s in front of her soldiers doesn’t she, Max?” Gunther quietly commented.  
“Hm, yes she does. Now be quiet, and I told you, don’t call me Max,” Maxwell annoyedly responded.  
“But why, we’re friends aren’t we?” Gunther implored.  
“We’re colleagues and servants to her highness above all else. So maintain the decorum fit for a royal servant.” Maxwell curtly answered. Gunther only grumbled as a response.

* * *

After her soldiers’ response, Valerie continued, “This battle is pivotal for the success of our empire. For as long as we have existed, these fortress cities have blockaded us from the East. They bully our people, and allow no food to traverse their borders to our lands, watching us starve while they grow fat. Our people hunger, your families hunger. Not one day in our empire has passed where we do not feel the pains that our homeland is cursed with. Yet, their lands are rich. But their greed only leads them to turn to themselves. “Pursuing Inward Perfection” they call it. But we know better. We know what it actually is. They choose to ignore the suffering of others, the suffering of our people, our families. Instead, they watch themselves and their oh-so noble clans duke it out in far more brutal fashion than we could ever do ourselves. So let us take our fates into our own hands. We shall force the East open. Make them see what they turned their backs on, what they left to rot and die. So fight with me! Fight to see our people live on, and take down the rich and the fat who care not for others. In the coming days, LET ME SEE WHAT THE MEN AND WOMEN OF DRASTRIA ARE MADE OF!”  
“YES YOUR HIGHNESS! LONG LIVE HER HIGHNESS! LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE! LONG LIVE THE EMPEROR! LET’S KILL THOSE EASTERN BASTARDS!” the soldiers frenziedly cheered in response. Following the final cheers, Valerie exhaustedly retreated backstage to her two royal servants.

* * *

“Phew, speeches are tiring. I might have overdone it a bit. I don’t want them to start some massacre when the battle ends.” Valerie commented.  
“That was a great performance, your highness. Who knew you could come up with such great speeches on the fly while having read the briefings only a few minutes before.” Maxwell teased.  
“Sh-shut up! That’s mean.” Valerie responded in embarrassment. Maxwell only smirked in response.  
“HAHA! Great job, ma’am. You always amaze me!” Gunther complimented.  
“Anything amazes you…” Maxwell muttered.  
“WHAT’D YOU SAY!” Gunther shouted.  
“Nothing,” Maxwell smiled.  
“Guys, calm down,” Valerie scolded.  
“Yes your highness,” Maxwell smiled and bowed in response.  
“Yes ma’am,” Gunther bowed.  
“Your highness, we ought to go greet Grand Generals Garen and Katerina now. They should have the advanced briefing ready for you, and it’s time to pick up pace. We’ve wasted too much time today,” Maxwell suggested.  
“Yes, of course, let’s go,” Valerie agreed. The trio then started the trek across camp to meet the two previous heads of the Eastern front.

* * *

“Greetings to your highness!” Bowed General Katarina and Garen.  
“Relax. Thank you for your courtesy. Is the briefing ready?” Responded Valerie solemnly.  
“Yes, of course. And beautiful speech, your highness. I doubt we could have done any better to raise morale.” Answered Katarina.  
“Ah, yes, could you go over the basic briefing once more as well?” Requested Valerie.  
“Well, yes, but why? Did you not read it already?” Questioned Garen.  
“Her highness… well… she skimmed it. She didn’t realize there was a briefing until right before her time to give a speech,” Maxwell embarrassed responded, freezing the smiles of the generals in place.  
“H-Hey, stop! Your supposed to support me, Max! Don’t mention that!” Pouted Valerie, now red in the face.  
“Well, yes, yes. Let’s go over that then…” Continued Katarina, choosing not to acknowledge the current scene of an embarrassed princess of the empire. “As I’m sure you know, we are currently preparing to lay siege to the eastern fortress city of Minsa. It is the largest and anchor of all the cities along our border. We have made varying amounts of progress with the other cities, some having fallen to our forces already. However, they are all far weaker compared to Minsa. Minsa is the most heavily fortified, but it also covers one of the largest choke points between east and west. If we can crack it open, the rest of the fortress cities will quickly fall to our forces. And as you know, his majesty has made this a large priority. We have approximately 200,000 men ready for battle. About 60% are basic foot soldiers. 70% of those are swordsmen while the other 30% are pikemen. Of the remaining 40%, 20% are cavalry, 15% are archers, and the remaining 5% are magi.”  
“Do we have engineer corps and siege weapons? What about explosives and fuelants?” Interrupted Valerie.  
“Yes, we do. We have about 5,000 engineers. 200 trebuchets, 200 ballistae, 20 siege towers ready for use, and about 20 tonnes of black powder.” Garen answered.  
“Good. What about hellfire or wyvern riders?” Valerie further asked.  
“Unfortunately, no. Hellfire is not widely used in the military, and we were not delegated wyvern riders. As you know, the majority are part of her highness, Princess Lyssa's army. Besides, Minsa is impenetrable for regular wyvern riders. They would be felled by arrows before reaching the walls.” Garen replied.  
“Of course. Go on then.” Valerie commented, slightly frowning.  
“Yes, well Minsa should have about 100,000 men ready for combat. As habit of these, cities, they turtle and rarely if ever wage counterattacks. However, we should be ready to expect Nakiri reinforcements soon. I doubt they would ignore one the loss of one of their key defenses in the west. As of now, all probing attacks by us have been deterred.” Katarina began speaking.  
“What has your army done so far to attack the wall?” Valerie questioned.  
“We have tried light frontal assaults to scale and test the defenses. We have not been able to do much beyond that however.” Garen answered.  
“Very well. Is that all?” Valerie asked again.  
“Yes, that should be all that’s necessary for now.” Katarina responded.  
“Good, then we’ll finish for now. It’s getting late.” Valerie stated and began standing to leave. To this, both generals rose up in salute and the two servants stood, following their princess out of the tent.

* * *

Crown Prince Ashiga was signing and sorting the last documents of the day when he heard an urgent rapping on the door to his room. “Come in!” the Prince said. Upon receiving permission, an old and skinny man slid open the door. He then stepped in and immediately kowtowed to the ground. “Ah! Rise. Eunuch Ruo, what brings you here in the evening like this?” The prince asked the kneeling Eunuch.  
After standing up, the Eunuch bowed once more and reported, “Your highness, the Fortress City of Minsa reports that a female Drastrian royal has taken over the Drastrian command against them.”  
“Hm, interesting. I wonder… a female royal… Anyways, that should not be so large a matter that you must rush to me at this moment, yes? Could this not have waited until morning?” The prince questioned.  
“Well… their message contained more than that. It appears that Minsan Commander Han Su is approaching the Drastrian royalty with great caution… He is requesting direct military support from Nakari.” Eunuch Ruo hesitantly responded.  
“Do we not already provide them military support? We give them monthly shipments of ballistae and metals for forging, no?” Ashiga questioned once more.  
“Hm, I suppose I should have been clearer. They want soldiers this time,” Eunuch Ruo finally stated.  
“How many?” Ashiga asked with a slight frown.  
“He requests 50,000 soldiers,” Ruo responded.  
“That many? He should know Nakari’s taboo against mobilizing armies, especially for fighting in foreign lands. Does he truly think the situation so serious that he would risk offending Nakari?” Ashiga asked, his frown deepening.  
“It appears so, the Drastrian royalty are famous across the continent for being military powerhouses and tactical geniuses after all,” Ruo answered.  
“You make a point. Hmm, how is my father doing currently?” Ashiga questioned, the frown lifting from his face.  
“His majesty’s health has been stable lately, and it’s been the best it’s been for a while now.” Ruo bowed and responded.  
Ashiga sat in silence thinking for a minute before finally responding, “Very well, I shall personally go to Minsa with 10,000 soldiers from the Divine army. I doubt the court will be able to challenge me on this small of a number, especially when I am personally acting,”  
“Your highness! Are you sure it’s safe to venture out. You haven’t directly joined a war before have you?” Ruo shot up and worriedly asked.  
“No, but there’s a first time for everything isn’t there, and I’m not a child anymore. Besides, the Dawn Dragon’s blood is pretty guaranteed to keep me alive. Us Nakari royals are no slouches in combat, you know.” Ashiga smiled in response.  
“Ah, of course. My apologies, your highness,” Ruo responded.  
“Hey lighten up a bit. You’re coming too, you know. So go get ready, we’ll set off tomorrow. The court is going to love this tomorrow.” Ashiga said.  
“Yes, of course. Then good evening, milord. I will have us prepared to leave tomorrow morning,” Ruo spoke his goodbye and then left Prince Ashiga’s room.  
“Hm, it’s time to go to battle, I guess. Now, Han Su, you shouldn’t have any reason to complain. After all, you have Nakari royalty coming himself. And little Drastrian Princess, I wonder if you’re who I think you are.” Prince Ashiga thought to himself before pinching out his candle.


End file.
